Thoughts On Marketing

I stumbled upon a comprehensive list of marketing tactics - 75 of them to be exact. About 20% of them don’t apply to architects at all. I am going to briefly comment on the other 80%. 

I found THE 75 MARKETING TACTICS on the Mindwhirl Marketing website. It wouldn’t hurt to read through their list for a rudimentary understanding of this marketing stuff. 

These 75 tactics are either intended to help you find ‘leads’ or to convert a lead into a customer.
 
Sounds simple.

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Here are my Underlying Assumptions. 

You are providing professional design services for improvements to the built environment. Those improvements will cost more than a new automobile. Your potential clients, therefore, approach your selection with caution. It is unlikely that they will hire you without satisfying themselves as to your technical competence and trustworthiness. In many cases that will require that you established a relationship with the client before you are hired.

Marketing Plans and Branding
Before we tackle the list, there are two big picture issues that you should think about - Marketing Plans and Branding. When marketing gurus tell you that you MUST have a marketing plan, they think you are part of a organization large enough for this to be true. Usually it is not true. 

When you get to around 15 staff, start thinking about a marketing plan. Until then, pick a couple of these 75 tactics and concentrate on doing them instead. I probably created five or six marketing plans for my firm, a firm that never exceeded 12 people. I learned something each time, but the main takeaway that I am sharing with you is that marketing plans are a waste of time until you are big enough to need one in order to direct a full time marketing staff.

Branding is different. Everyone has a brand whether you think so or not. People experience a brand based on what they see. They see you, your office, your car, your logo, business card, website, stationary, project signs, your drawings, your projects. Everyone who thinks about you has an impression of what you are all about. 

Branding is making that impression coherent, and indicative of where you see yourself going. Undertake new directions in branding cautiously. You confuse everyone and look fickle with your new logo du jour. 
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Now lets look at the 75 marketing tactics.

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THE 75 MARKETING TACTICS

1. Affiliates (no comment or not applicable)
2. Articles (Published): If you have an expertise, write a paper about it. Get it published, at least on your website.
3. Banner Advertisements: Advertising in general doesn’t work for architects because the audience for the ad is not focused enough and the message is too complicated. In addition the cost of advertising mounts up quickly. There is a tendency for ads to be more about ego than results.
4. Blogs / Blogging / Content Marketing: I’m partial to this tactic as you can see here. 
5. Books / Authorship: If you are an expert, a book would be convincing proof; however, writing a book is a big undertaking. 
6. Brochures and Electronic Brochures: I don’t think there is a benefit equal to the cost, even for the electronic variety. Rely on your website.
7. Bulletin Boards (Community and Internet): Seems unlikely to help, but do it if you like participating. 
8. Business Cards: A must. It is just expected. No one will hire you because of your business card, but they might not hire you if you don’t have one. 
9. Business Directory: Get listed if there is no cost.
10. Catalogs (no comment or not applicable)
11. Classified Ads (no comment or not applicable)
12. Clubs and Association Memberships: The work that you find this way always gets political (in the generic sense). Are you comfortable with that? There’s your answer.
13. Cold Calling / Canvassing (Face-to-Face Selling): You will be glad to hear that I think this is a waste of time. Do this instead: Mandeville
14. Community Involvement: Look at this as brand-building. Do it if it helps. Or because you like being involved.
15. Contests and Sweepstakes: This is really a long shot. I say no.
16. Courses: Offering your expertise to potential clients is valuable. Think long and hard about the kind of payoff there could be because this is really time-consuming. 
17. Demonstrations (no comment or not applicable)
18. Direct Mail: Too expensive in time and effort.
19. Door Hangers / Flyers: Maybe.  Use the USPS ‘Every Door Direct Mail’ service if you do residential work and know exactly which streets your potential clients live on.
20. E-books: See Books above (#5). This is easier and cheaper. 
21. Elevator Pitch: This is more valuable for clarifying your vision/mission/goals than it is as a marketing tool.
22. Email (Broadcast): Definitely!  See #4, Blogs, etc.
23. Email AutoResponders: I think you are better off with a personal, custom email unless you have more than one or two a week.
24. Email Signature: This is part of your brand. It says something about you no matter what you do, so you should give it some thought. 
25. E-zine Advertisements: Advertising in general doesn’t work for architects because the audience for the ad is not focused enough and the message is too complicated. In addition the cost of advertising mounts up quickly. If you find an E-zine focused on your niche, it might be worth it.
26. Forum Boards: See #7.
27. Free Consultations: No. Here’s why. [YouTube video]  
28. Guest Posting: If you have a lot of content about your specialty, this might work for you.
29. Internet Video Marketing (no comment or not applicable)
30. Joint Ventures (no comment or not applicable)
31. Landing Pages: Only useful as part of some other tactic or strategy.
32. Leads Group Meetings: Tip clubs rarely work for professionals.
33. Lectures / Speaking Engagements: You need to be speaking to potential clients, so this means speaking at their meeting and conventions. Great it you can get it.
34. List Swap (no comment or not applicable)
35. Magazine Ads: Advertising in general doesn’t work for architects because the audience for the ad is not focused enough and the message is too complicated. In addition the cost of advertising mounts up quickly. There is a tendency for ads to be more about ego than results.
36. Media Expert / Authority: The problem is finding an audience of potential clients. That audience is very rare.
37. Merchandise Displays / Inside Signage (no comment or not applicable)
38. Movie Ads (no comment or not applicable)
39. Networking: This never hurts, but I don’t think it is mandatory.
40. Newsletter / E-newsletter: See #4. Do that instead.
41. Newspaper Ads: Advertising in general doesn’t work for architects because the audience for the ad is not focused enough and the message is too complicated. In addition the cost of advertising mounts up quickly. There is a tendency for ads to be more about ego than results.
42. Newspaper or Magazine Columns: Too much work. Too distracting.
43. On Hold Marketing (no comment or not applicable)
44. Online Marketplaces (EBay / Amazon / Etc.) (no comment or not applicable)
45. Open House or Reception: Does your doctor do this?
46. Outdoor Advertising (Billboards) (no comment or not applicable)
47. Outside Signage: This is part of your brand, getting associated with the work you do. It is not necessary, but a project sign is simple and cheap.
48. Pay Per Click: This might work for a niche, but expect to spend money without knowing if it every generated work.
49. Personalized Letters and Email Messages: Doesn’t generate work, but builds a brand. Do it if you like the idea.
50. Personal Meetings: See #13. 
51. Podcasting: No. It is the audience problem again.
52. Postcard Deck / ValPak (no comment or not applicable)
53. Postcards: Use email instead.
54. Press Releases: This rarely works out. Who the architect is doesn’t matter to reporters, so they cut out the mention.
55. Product Placement (no comment or not applicable)
56. Radio Advertisements: Advertising in general doesn’t work for architects because the audience for the ad is not focused enough and the message is too complicated. In addition the cost of advertising mounts up quickly. There is a tendency for ads to be more about ego than results.
57. Referrals / Word-of-Mouth: See #69.
58. Sales Presentations: You will need this. Remember to make it about their project, and NOT about you.
59. Search Engine Optimization (SEO): SEO is mostly a waste of effort for architects. Tell Google where you are and let it go at that. Other tactics work better. 
60. Seminars, Tele-Seminars and Workshops: See #16. Similar issues.
61. Shipping and Billing Inserts (no comment or not applicable)
62. Shoppers / Circulars (no comment or not applicable)
63. Social Media: For architects, this is more about branding. If your specialty is residential design, it may pay. Mostly this is ego-building or feel good stuff. Do your clients use social media?
64. Special Events: See #45.
65. Sponsorships: This is like advertising, which doesn’t work.
66. Surveys / Research Studies: This could generate some positive leads and relationships if it is a ‘real’ part of developing a niche.
67. Telemarketing (no comment or not applicable)
68. Television Commercials and Infomercials (no comment or not applicable)
69. Testimonials / Case Studies: I think testimonials can help. Debrief your clients. Turn their comments into a testimonial. Ask them if it is OK to use the result. You do the work for them.
70. Text Messages – (Mobile -- Includes IMs and Social Media) (no comment or not applicable)
71. Trade Shows (no comment or not applicable)
72. Webinars: See #16, similar.
73. Website: A must. Keep it up to date (monthly). You HAVE to be able to make changes yourself. You have to assume your potential clients look at your website and make a value judgement based on what they see. Don’t make these mistakes: [Google - why do architects have bad websites?]
74. Window Displays (no comment or not applicable)
75. Yellow Pages: You need to be listed (probably), but don’t pay for it. Nothing good will come of it.

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I think that is an amazingly complete list, and very helpful. Thank you, Mindwhirl.